


Dark Travails

by Bonfoi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Challenge Response, Community: lupin_snape, D/s, Dark Challenge, Dom/sub, Drama, EWE, M/M, Multi, Post - Half-Blood Prince, Post Second Voldemort War, Romance, Torture, Written in 2009, dark!fic, implied threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-17
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 08:57:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/595872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonfoi/pseuds/Bonfoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The darkness of grief colors so many things, and when secrets are revealed, the black of night is unrelieved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dark Travails

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** This gave me so much trouble and it took some time in chat (thanks to everyone who was on!) to add some, take some away, and mix liberally with caffeine and chips and chili con queso!
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **Warnings:** *Lust over Harry; D/s (implied); Torture (implied); Threesome (implied) *

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

**_Disclaimer:_** The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. 

This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

The stench of war hung in the air of Hogwarts. The low murmurs and hitched breaths of the tired witches and wizards vied with the renewed bursts of birdsong as the gloaming darkened. The savior didn’t pay attention to any of it.

Harry Potter looked down at the blackened skull of the Dark Lord Voldemort and kicked it away with a savage grin. He looked out over the battlefield, noticing for the first time the heaving pile of dead and dying dark wizards. Sighing, he wiped away the blood dripping from his temples and strode forward. “No rest for the wicked is right,” he muttered.

The pile of bodies still seethed up and down and then a gravelly voice screamed out. “Damn it to hell! Someone get me out of here!” Harry knew that voice and he scrambled to cast spell after spell to help his honorary godfather from beneath the loathsome mass.

The two of them stared at each other. Remus, still caught in the midst of the bodies, was covered in the vile gore of death and dying. Harry, the slowly ebbing aura of Dark Magic wafting off of him as the stars grew brighter. Lupin growled low in his throat but deferred to his former schoolmate’s godson; Harry’s magic marked him as an Alpha and Remus’ beast recognized it, reluctantly.

Once the older wizard was freed, the two men stared long and hard at each other, wary after all the death and destruction. Finally, Remus spoke. “Nymphadora?” The question of his wife was answered by a grimace and a headshake _no_. “Nooo!!” the lycanthrope howled. “Nooo! She was to stay behind!” His feral eyes started to water with impotent fury. Dashing the tears away, he stalked up to Potter until they stood nose-to-nose. “My son, Teddy?” he asked softly.

Harry put out his hand, touching the stained tweed of the other’s shoulder. “He’s with Andromeda, Remus. Tonks made certain to hide the two of them in Number Twelve. They’re fine.” He put up a shaking hand to his head, his body finally beginning to succumb to the savagery of his last battle. The fingers came away coated with blood and Harry grimaced. “Well, better than us at any rate.”

Breathing sharply through his nose, Remus’ heightened senses were overloaded by blood and bile. He too was beginning to waver on his feet. There was one more question to ask: “What happened to Professor Snape?” The very birds of the air stilled as the lycanthrope waited for the answer.

§§§♀♥♀§§§

Swallowing, Harry told the last of the Marauders what had happened in the Shrieking Shack. Remus’ heart broke as he thought of Severus lying in the dust of the old house, all alone as he’d been before Nymphadora had convinced him to be with them. The tears poured down his face in earnest as he fell to his knees, burying his face in Harry’s stomach as his world shattered.

The young wizard didn’t know what to do but hold Remus until the sobs quieted. Together, they were covered by the dark of night. And, it was there that a dark dream was born…

§§§♀♥♀§§§

Two days after Voldemort’s death had been verified, Harry stood in the Shrieking Shack with Remus Lupin. There was a pool of blood, impossibly large, but no body!

“Um, Remus, how could he just disappear? I mean, he was bitten by Nagini and bleeding like a stuck pig…er, sorry ‘bout that.” Harry cast his eyes down as he flushed in confusion. “What I meant to say was he couldn’t have gotten far by himself. I thought he was dead, you know?” His glance was wide and questioning, as if the ruined building could speak in response.

Remus shook his head, nostrils distended. He could smell the _wrongness_ of something foul, some evil thing that had dragged away his last chance at happiness. A low growl rumbled in his chest causing Harry to wince but not back away. “I smell others, Harry. Someone who wasn’t with the Dark wizards of Voldemort.” The lycanthrope inhaled deeply, storing away the scents for later.

“So, what are we going to do now? Ron and Hermione are pestering me to attend the celebrations.” His voice was thin, his irritation obvious at the idea that _celebrations_ were what should be going on when so many had yet to be mourned. Rocking back on his heels, Harry pulled his wand out and began casting Remembrance Spells on the walls and whatever objects still held their integrity.

Lupin’s brows rose slightly. Those weren’t spells taught in the Hogwarts curriculum! “Where did you learn something like that, Harry?” he asked, interested in spite of himself. He pulled his own wand out and began sifting through the debris looking for anything leading to Severus.

Working his way along the wall, towards the fireplace, Potter spoke over his shoulder. “Snape had a book. He liked to make up spells, and being curious—even after I almost killed Malfoy—I began trying them out. This one pulls the last memories of blood from an object. There’s too much blood on the floor, but, if there’re any drops anywhere else, I’ll get the memories that occurred within a fortnight.” His breath caught and Remus moved quickly to stand beside him. Harry pointed at a bent fender in front of the fireplace. “There!”

Conjuring the spell once more to strengthen it, Harry drew forth a wavering image of a trio of wizards, maybe one of the shorter ones being a witch, circling the bleeding Snape. His eyes were fierce even as the life was draining out of him. If anyone said anything, the spell didn’t catch it, but it recorded the arching back of _Cruciatus_! Potter’s mouth fell open at the sight.

“Severus…” Lupin’s voice was hushed. He’d imagined what his lover had looked like after Harry told his story, yet the man in the image was so worn, so faded that he didn’t look anything like _their_ Severus Snape. Suddenly, his eyesight sharpened and he saw the shorter wizard…witch?...lunge forward and try to break the Cruciatus. The larger wizard casting turned it upon him…her?...and the second assailant threw himself…herself?...over Snape’s body and Apparated away. The two others fought until the smaller one went limp. The body language of the larger one spoke volumes of fury and disbelief. He threw his unconscious partner down at his feet, making certain to put one disdainful foot on his/her abdomen, then they too Apparated away.

“I…I think that was the Malfoys.” Remus turned his head slowly, staring at Harry’s blanched face, searching for the why of it. “I mean, that tall one, all stiff and imperious was Lucius Malfoy to the life, and the small one, that could have Mrs. Malfoy, yeah? And, I’d bet the one that took Snape was Malfoy…um, Draco.” Harry’s pale cheeks colored as he spoke about his schoolmate. 

“He’s a prat and a Pureblooded idiot, but he respected Professor Snape. He would have wanted to help him and not add more hurt.” As the younger wizard postulated his theory, he ran the spell once more, looking for more clues. “See, there!” He pointed to an area by Snape’s left hand. “Something was pushed through the floorboards!”

Remus tucked his wand up his sleeve into his holster and then knelt down to pry at the rotting boards. Harry was correct; something thin had been pushed down, out of sight. He caught the scent of Severus’ blood as the hole grew wide enough to fit his hand. He reached in and pulled out an oft-folded piece of parchment with his name scrawled on it. Leaning back on his heels, he unfolded it careful and drew in a pained breath at the words:

> _Remus,  
>  If you’re reading this, I could very well be dead. But, you should be on your way to Wiltshire and a confrontation with Malfoy Senior. You see, beloved, he fancies himself the next Dark Lord and me his subservient slave. I only bow my neck to one man and woman! Come and save me!  
>  ~ Severus_

Once he got over the emotions the message engendered in him, Lupin read it out loud for Harry’s benefit. He was startled when Harry cackled as the last line was spoken. “Sounds to me like the war isn’t over yet, Remus. You up to running away from all this?” Something dark and dangerous threaded through the young savior’s voice. “If Lucius is planning on setting up shop, who better than a mostly Grey wizard and a Dark creature to stop him? And, if Snape’s alive, we’ll just see about who’s in charge at the end, won’t we?”

“Do you have an ulterior motive, Harry?” Remus’ neutral tone was flat, hiding his interest in Potter’s response. Two could play at being Slytherin sly.

Staring at him with eyes like Lily’s and a glare like Severus’ Harry gave a tight smile. “Why, of course, Remus!” he said. “I want to find my father.” The werewolf’s startled look made him laugh bitterly.

“Yeah, Snape’s the one.” He waved his wand in front of his face and the close resemblance to James Potter dissolved. Harry’s nose took on a more Romanesque appearance and his cheeks were leaner, even his hair falling flatter. “You see, Voldemort was a prick of the worst kind, he took Mum away from Snape by casting Imperius on James Potter. When he found out Mum was pregnant, he cast a kind of Disillusionment spell on the fetus—me—hoping to hide his plans.”

“Harry…I’m sorry.” He remembered the bitter things Severus had said about _Potter’s whelp_ and grimaced. “If he would have known—”

“If he would have known, he’d be dead almost two decades, Remus. I just know he’s my father, and a damned fine wizard. I’ll save him, even if it goes against the grain.” Potter recast his Glamour, looking more like what the Wizarding World expected. He waved his wand in a lazy figure four twice, removing any traces of his spells in the Shrieking Shack.

“Yes, well, let’s go see if young Malfoy is easier to find than his father, shall we?” Remus let Harry lead, his thoughts in a jumble about finding his only surviving lover and then telling the man he’d been mentally and emotionally abusing his son for years.

§§§♀♥♀§§§

Four months to the day, Remus and Harry stumbled upon Draco Malfoy. The young Death Eater had been hidden away in some Land’s-End manor at the end of the war. Using his victory and Remus’ spy connections, Harry had cleared him of most of the crimes against him, earning Malfoy a life outside of Azkaban. Potter was going to collect his “thanks”.

“Well, if it isn’t Draco Malfoy, junior henchman,” Harry drawled. As time had gone by, his mannerisms had become more like Severus’, often giving Remus’ cock a tingle when he said things _just so!_ “Where’s Snape, Malfoy? Make me ask again and I’ll have to do something very, very wicked…just like Hermione went through.”

Pushing back his now stringy hair, Draco Malfoy looked at Harry and then at Remus. His eyes were both black, his nose broken and horribly repaired. “Do what you want, Potter. Just kill the bastard for me, will you? You were so kind to do in the first, and now my…the man that was my father…he’s more insane than the Dark Lord.” His voice had a burble; something was broken in his throat as well.

“Snape…” Malfoy pointed up a rocky path. “He’s there. Lucius has Mother watching him.” He turned his back on them, a broken figure that made the wolf in Remus howl at the acceptance of abuse. He stepped forward to mend Draco’s wounds, but Harry pulled him back.

“Don’t waste your magic. We’ll need it when we rescue Snape.” His eyes were darker now, more a deep jade than Lily’s bright green and the hardness was another reminder Severus was his true father. “Stay here, Malfoy. We’ll be back for you in a bit,” Harry called over his shoulder as he walked away. Remus shook his head and stepped around the small blond.

§§§♀♥♀§§§

“Argh!” The scream was loud and male. The two Gryffindors shared a look and drew their wands. The manor had no wards to speak of and Harry broke through what was there in seconds. “No! No!”

“Lucius, stop…stop!” a woman’s voice cried. Then, a sharp crack, and a window exploded at the side of the manor.

Remus trailed after Harry, wincing as the younger wizard climbed through the broken glass and twisted wall. He felt the brain drain from his face as he saw what was in the room. A growl broke past his clenched teeth and he fired a hex at a shadow moving near the door.

“Sev…Severus…” he whispered brokenly. They stood in the mess of a sitting-room-cum-sickroom. Feathers littered the surfaces, some burning and fouling the air. A chandelier swung crazily until Harry severed the chain and let it crash. An arm reached out from beneath the curtains of the bed. In the hazy gloom of the room, Remus was frightened—both of the idea it belonged to Severus and that his wolf, so close to the moon, would rise to kill whomever was near because of it.

“Here…help…” A thin voice rasped out from under a mound of wood and curtains. Harry methodically Levitated debris out of the way until the trapped person was revealed. 

“Damn you, Lucius!” Remus howled. His lover was covered with thin welts, naked but for the red criss-crossing marks on his body. His ribs stood out, his stomach round with starvation. Lupin’s spells flew in a wild arc around the room, narrowly missing Harry’s head as he fell to his knees by Snape.

“I’ll kill him…I’ll kill him…Oh, Severus…” he cried, tears welling in his eyes as he reached for his lover. Severus’ dark eyes were narrowed in pain as he attempted to touch Lupin’s fingers. Harry turned away and sent up sparks to light the room’s corners.

“Unlucky Lucy...didn’t know my father was one of the sources of my power, did you?” Harry called out toward a far corner. He walked closer, more sparks flying from his wand-tip. “He’s my father, Lucy…my only flesh-and-blood!” he shouted. A Bluebell Flame blossomed on his wand and he lobbed it at the corner where it caught a portrait on fire. “He’s the lover of a werewolf, Lucy…a man so brave to bare his neck to a Dark creature!” A flick of Potter’s wand sent some of the debris he’d taken off his father flying into the dark corner and a shiver of sound was heard.

Remus heard and was in that corner in an instance, his wand under Lucius Malfoy’s chin. He pressed it up so hard that it broke the skin, and he growled, the wolf inside manifesting slowly as his features broke a bit and the monster peeked through. “Mine…he was mine and Nymphadora’s…he is mine alone now! You…you tore him…bled him…Monster!” He jabbed his wand up, but Harry’s shouted spell stopped it from skewering Malfoy to death; it only pierced his chin and his tongue, choking off the sounds of his screams.

“Remus…Lupin, you fool…” Severus’ soft whisper was an even more effective anchor and he pivoted away from his trapped wand. “Come to me, wolf…” he pleaded, beckoning weakly. Harry Summoned a blanket that wasn’t too badly torn and covered his father’s nakedness, his own anger fracturing as he saw the man he loathed comforting the malformed werewolf.

Teeth too long, bones trying to break and reform into a man’s face, Remus hid his visage from Snape until he felt those thin fingers walk their way up to cup his cheek. “I want to kill him, master. Rend him like the wild wolves do.”

“Hush…hush…” Severus soothed his lover. “Grievously hurt, I’m still a match for that…” he coughed, “that overstuffed popinjay.” He gestured towards a now unconscious and wounded Lucius Malfoy. “You didn’t let him speak, wolf. His wife stole his voice.” He smiled, a dark twist of his lips that spoke of pride in her bravery.

“Where’s young Malfoy?” Snape asked. He looked over at Harry, his eyebrows rising as he saw the changes on the youth’s face. “Potter?” He tugged at Remus’ face until his lover looked into his eyes. “Mine?” Snape’s voice broke, pain—of missed opportunities and stolen lifetimes—breaking it into crystalline pieces.

“I could have been.” Harry turned on his heel. “I’m going to get Mal-Draco. He needs healing.” Before Severus could say anything more, he was gone, the burning feathers a fine foil for his sour mood.

“My past has come to haunt me.” Severus tried to sit up but his frail body couldn’t do it and Remus scooped him up against his chest and stood.

“He’ll come around, Severus. Now, I need to get you out of here.” He reached for his wand and then realized it was still stuck through Lucius’ chin. “Good thing I’m a werewolf, otherwise I couldn’t get you out of here easily.” He climbed through the wall, the fresh air of evening blowing away the stench of Severus’ prison.

“We need to find Narcissa, Draco, and Po-my son,” Severus said, the wonder evident in the last part. Remus agreed and carried his wounded lover down the path, towards Harry and Draco. He didn’t dwell on how he’d come back once Severus was asleep, how he’d retrieve his wand, and how he’d let the wolf mete out its own justice in the dark of night.

Lupin pressed a kiss on Severus’ parchment-thin skin. “Yes, master. And, we need to get you healthy.” He hazarded a small lick of Snape’s temple. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “I need your touch, your direction. I’ve been lost.” He breathed deeply, his chest expanding enough to push Severus up within his arms. “I…I lusted after your son. He’s as strong as you,” he confessed.

Snape tensed in his lover’s arms and then slowly relaxed his abused body. “When I’m well, you will have your discipline. Nymphadora…” he stopped when Remus moaned. “She’s gone?!” he gasped. “Oh, my sweet girl…” Remus stopped there on the path and they cried together.

When Harry found them, he turned around swiftly. He’d heard Snape’s exclamation of grief. There would enough to time to heal what needed to be healed and take back some of their own.

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

_~~~ Comments, like rain in the desert, are greatly appreciated.  
Thank you for reading. ~~~_


End file.
